Cyclone Gaja leaves traces of destruction in Tamil Nadu; 21 people killed, more than 1 lakh in relief camps

Chennai: Cyclone Gaja finally hit the southern shores of Tamil Nadu in the early hours of November 16, near Vedaranyam, Nagapattinam District. Gaja made landfall with a wind speed higher than the forecast of the Indian Meteorological Department. According to government authorities, Gaja has done more damage than expected at the finish at 120 km / h, contrary to forecasts of 90-100 km / h.

Since this morning, more than 1 lakh of the seven high-risk districts of Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Pudhukottai, Ramanathapuram and Karaikal have been accommodated in 520 relief camps spread throughout the state. Among them, 20,000 children. Evacuation efforts have been ongoing since Friday and were intensified during the night as the storm continued to intensify. More than 15,000 disaster management personnel have been forced to participate in rescue operations in these areas.

The storm caused significant damage in the districts of Pattukottai and Adirampattinam, as well as in Pudukkottai and Karaikal districts of Thanjavur district. The damage was particularly severe in banana plantations and rice fields. Pudukkottai district collector S. Ganesh said that while the coastal district was prepared for the cyclone, he did not expect the cyclone to be as severe in this district as it was to Nagapattinam, where he touched down. "But we immediately stepped up the relief efforts overnight," he said. "The rains have just stopped and people are being sent home Friday.The ones who lost their homes will continue to be housed in these relief camps.The badessment of losses and compensation are ongoing."

In Nagapattinam district, Vedaranayam and Kodiyakkarai were the most affected. Nearly 50,000 homes have lost the connection to the EB and officials say that electricity will only be restored after a few weeks, as the majority of EB poles were damaged. The roofs of many homes and businesses were damaged by gusts of wind, and even the famous Vellankanni church was damaged by the cyclone. Almost all mobile networks have lost their connection in Nagapattinam district and communication has been completely interrupted. Scenes such as a family cooking on the roadside and a fisherman inspecting the wreck of his ships are coming out of the district

At noon, 11 people had died, including four members of a Pattukottai family when their old brick house collapsed in the middle of the rain and strong winds. In addition, a seven-year-old girl was killed in Adhirampattinam, two in Cuddalore (one in Kurinjipadi and one in Virudhachalam), one in Seyyar in Thiruvannamalai, one in Sivaganga and two people in Thirvarur. A total of 21 people were killed by the cyclone. On Friday, Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami announced compensation of 10 lakh per family for cyclone victims.

Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that because of the Coast Guard's efforts, no fisherman would have died at sea off the coast of Tamil Nadu.

The collector of Thanjavur district, A Annadurai, said he had been unable to reach the affected areas because of the obstruction of roads by falling trees. Currently, on the coastline, rescue operations focus on deforestation and road rehabilitation. Power poles are being replaced and damaged mobile towers are being repaired. Wandering rescue operations for people trapped in buildings are also underway. The Chief Minister has called for work to be done on a war footing to restore normalcy in these affected areas.

The Minister of Revenue and Disaster Management, RB Udhayakumar, told the press this morning in Chennai, said that due to the speed of the wind, the damage is greater than expected. Banana plantations and paddy fields were the most affected. Numerous fishing boats, including Karaikal and Nagapattinam, were beaten. More than 5,000 trees have been uprooted. About 12,000 wires along the coast have fallen and need to be replaced. The precautionary measures taken by the government of Tamil Nadu have placed more than 85,000 people in relief centers, even before the cyclone, he said. "The Revenue and Fisheries Departments are currently studying the extent of the damage and the ministers concerned have rushed to the affected areas and consultations are ongoing with the Chief Minister about additional relief measures."

The chief minister of Tamil Nadu, who met with the press Friday in his hometown of Salem, announced that he would visit the affected areas on Friday to badess the impact of the hurricane. The Chief Minister of Pondicherry, V Narayanaswamy, is currently in Karaikal to oversee the rescue operations. Nearly 1,200 trees were destroyed by the storm on the territory of the Union and more than 5,000 people were evacuated to relief camps.

Venkatesh, who resides in a relief camp in Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam, said the government had taken adequate precautionary measures against the cyclone. "Since we arrived at the camp before the storm, we are all safe. We have no difficulty here; we receive food at the right time and we often give milk and biscuits to children. We thank the government for their work. We were advised to stay here until tonight and we will return home after that, "he said.

Dr. S Balachandran, director of the Chennai Meteorological Department, said Friday at 10 am on the status of the Gaja cyclone: ​​"The cyclone completely crossed the coastal area at 6 am Today, Gaja is crossing the Dindigul district with a wind speed of between 60 and 70 km / h Over the next three hours, Gaja will continue to move westward as its intensity gradually decreases. impact on the coastal districts but we continue to follow the course of the cyclone. "

With contributions from V Dhanabalan

(The author is a freelance writer based in Chennai and a member of 101Reporters.)